


Robotic love

by Portalis2



Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Chell is not sure if she trusts Wheatley, F/M, Human Nigel, Human Virgil, Human Wheatley, I know I shouldn’t write two stories at the same time but I don’t care, Mel is happy, Portal Stories Mel, Rachel has grudges, aperture tag, but that’s expected
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22900078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Portalis2/pseuds/Portalis2
Summary: GLaDOS has found old experiments that should be made to see how cores react in human bodies. When she has an intelligence damping sphere that almost blew up her facility, a maintenance core that helped a human escape and a testing core that disobeyed her orders that she wants to punish, she decides it is time to start testing.~~When Chell escaped Aperture she thought she was safe, but she soon discovered that the world she knew doesn't exist anymore. When she meets another woman who came from Aperture they decide to stick together to survive. But when they get a message from a female test subject that needs their help, will they go back into the place their worst nightmares originated from?
Relationships: Chell & Mel, Chell & Rachel, Chell & Virgil, Chell & Wheatley, Chell/Wheatley (Portal), Mel & Virgil, Mel & Wheatley, Mel/Virgil (Portal), Nigel & Virgil, Nigel/Rachel, Rachel & Mel, Rachel & Nigel, Rachel & Virgil, Rachel & Wheatley, Wheatley & Nigel, Wheatley & Virgil
Comments: 5
Kudos: 46





	1. Someone else

When Chell had finally reached her destination, had finally reached freedom, she had been suspicious. Who guaranteed her that this wasn’t another one of GLaDOS traps? It could all be fake. The environment looked real and the wheat smelled real, but how could she be sure? GLaDOS surely wouldn’t just let her go. Her speech about being best friends and Chell being hard to kill didn’t sound anything like her. So she stayed at the small shack for almost an hour.

She sat on the companion cube they had given her, watching birds fly around the shack and listened to the bugs that were hiding deep in the wheat field. And she started to doubt. GLaDOS definitely would have made a comment by now if she was watching. Why wouldn’t she watch her to make sure she wouldn’t survive another time. Did that monster really... just let her go?

Chell‘s expression didn’t change as she stood up at made slow, short steps into the field. Two, three, four, five... nothing. No turrets were suddenly put beside her, the ground wasn’t pulled away. She was... free? She was finally free? For the first time in ages, Chell allowed herself to show her disbelief. There was no acknowledgement from GLaDOS, no snarky remark. Chell was no longer a test subject.

With a soft smile, Chell went deeper and deeper into the wheat field. Finally, after so much struggle, she’d be able to see other humans again. She eagerly awaited the moment she would finally be reunited with civilisation. But Chell wasn't stupid. She knew integrating into society would be hard after everything she had been through. She knew that trusting people and relaxing would be the hardest for her to relearn. She knew people wouldn't understand what she had been through and that she would be a social outcast. But everything was better than being stuck in Aperture with a GLaDOS.

But once Chell had reached the first town, she had wondered if there even was a way to be reunited with any sort of civilization. Plants twined up the walls of every building, the rooftops of most houses had big holes in them. And most importantly, there was nobody around. Not a single human being. She had seen a few birds flying around and an old, forgotten dog who had been abandoned by his owner limped across one street. Other than that, there was simply nothing.

Chell had known that something happened in the outside world. There had to be a reason why nobody ever came to Aperture in hopes of finding some of its inventions or freeing the few people stuck inside. She thought that GLaDOS might have attacked them to keep them away, but now that the girl was outside she realized GLaDOS had absolutely no control outside of Aperture. So what had caused so much destruction if it hadn't been _her_? An epidemic? A war?

Despite her discovery, Chell refused to just give up. It wasn't in her nature to stop moving and break down crying, cursing her horrible fate. Her stubbornness had always made her keep going as a test subject, when GLaDOS had made her do test after test. Even after Wheatley's betrayal she hadn't stopped fighting. She had already gotten so far, she had finally escaped Aperture, giving up just wasn't an option for her. That was the reason why she kept walking and left the first town in search for another one. Pure stubbornness. There had to be humans around here somewhere and she would find them no matter what.

After at least three days of wandering through the towns surrounding Aperture, Chell finally had come to the realization that it didn't matter. Every town was destroyed and the humans were gone. The buildings of the others towns were also damaged, but the difference was that there were a few corpses lying on the streets. Most of their flesh had decomposed until there were only bones, but what really shocked Chell was how many bodies were those of children. It was a horrific sight.

The girl had searched through the ingredients, but the only thing she deemed to still be edible were some cans filled with beans and some honey. The beans weren't a meal she enjoyed, but she had to stay alive somehow and beggars couldn't be choosers. Chell was just glad she was used to eating almost nothing. Her stomach growled a little as she lied on the ground, but it was manageable.

The next morning she ate a little bit of the honey, probably enjoying the sweet taste a little more than she should. It wasn’t much, but she knew she couldn’t eat everything if she wanted to survive. She wasn’t even sure if her stomach could handle it after eating barely enough to keep her alive for such a long time.

She sighed and turned around to seek shelter in one of the less damaged houses- just to be face to face with another woman. Chell froze, her eyes dilating as the other woman watched her silently. They stood there for a couple of minutes, not daring to look away.

Chell shivered with cold. Her orange jumpsuit just wasn't made to keep her warm. At least not with a temperature as low as here. Back at Aperture, the temperature never got as low as outside. Still, she didn't move. She didn't go to a warmer place like she could have so she wouldn't get sick. Instead, she stared at the woman that stood only three metres in front of her. And the woman stared back.

It had been a long time since Chell had seen another human being. Too long. She didn't know how long it had actually been. Why would she? She didn't even know what year it was or how much time had passed since she had began testing for GLaDOS. What she knew was that all villages around Aperture Science had been abandoned for a long time. 

Then, the other woman held out her hand with a little smile.


	2. Rachel

_Chell [Redacted]_.

That was the name on the file. It was short. Not much to go with. The last name had been censored for whatever reason. It was bizarre. She could only guess why. It really wasn't much information. Nothing that could really help her. But still, it filled her with optimism. This was the test subject that stupid core, Nigel, had mentioned. She would get her revenge on him eventually. Rache war süß.

It said it right here at the bottom of her file: _A_ _mute, psychotic lunatic that is pointlessly cruel. Maybe that's why her parents didn't want her? Or perhaps it's because she's so incredibly fat. Regardless, the jumpsuit looks stupid on her._

Someone was _really_ salty. There had been test subjects with worse backstories and with actual unfortunate body structures. Someone had chosen to make nasty comments to insult Chell. All other test subjects whose files she read were simply describing personality and other features that were important for the test. Only this one was different. This _test subject_ was different. She originally hadn't considered that the testing core had actually told her the truth, when he mentioned the test subject that had killed his boss once - not after so closely avoiding death only to be tricked again. But this... this was something she could trust. This was prove someone had escaped. If someone else had done so before, so could she. Even if she had no idea who she was, she'd be fine.

She sighed and turned the monitor off. There had been no information regarding herself. There had to be a file about her, telling her who she was. Even if there was nothing about her she remembered, she would have to be able to find it. But there wasn't anything. No name, no identity. She was just a lab rat that had escaped its cage and hid from the scientists in a hole in the wall. She was a nobody without a face or name.

The girl had searched for hours. She had even typed in 'Nigel' to see if she could find all of his new test subjects listed there. He'd said she was his first one - something she actually believed him after all those embarrassing mistakes he'd made while testing - so there was no way she _couldn't_ be listed in his file. Apparently there was. It was like he had never existed. Like she never existed. His file had been deleted. Why, she couldn't tell. That she had even found the test subject that had escaped had been a simple coincidence. It was bound to happen, when you were so desperate to find your own identity.

The sound of paint splashing walls and floors echoed through the facility. She froze. It didn't sound like it was far away from her. Maybe a few hundred meters away. The blue and orange paint had always made loud noises. It was strange. Just how quickly had they replaced the paint gun? The test subjects were more easily disposable than the testing equipment, that much she knew.

What would happen if she was found? Would she get dragged back into testing? Would they have her do these tests until the exhaustion killed her? Her legs were shaking. She slowly turned towards the door. No, the testing areas were far away. Someone would have to get off track to get so close. Another unwilling participant who was trying to escape this cursed place.

Should she just... follow the sound? If she met the other test subject, maybe she'd have a bigger chance of getting out...? Or not. Chell had made it out by herself. Probably for a good reason. She couldn't risk her own freedom for someone who might just end up making things more difficult for her, when her chances of ever escaping were already slim enough in the first place.

Another sound close to her broke her out of her position. She took a deep breath and tiptoed into the corner next to the door. She'd be hidden in the shadows. Once the test subject came in she'd either sneak past them or knock them out, depending on what was the better decision. She leaned against the wall and listened for footsteps.

"...bad idea! She... angry, and when... it's gonna be our end!" She wasn't sure if she had even understood the words she heard. The man was talking too fast for her to comprehend. But she was still able to recognize the British accent. Whatever that was worth.

"Calm down," another man with a Norwegian accent replied. So there were actually two. Fantastic. Since when were there tests that required multiple test subjects? "She won't find out that we’re here. That other guy is keeping her busy right now with his own test. It’s ironic how bad he is at it considering his previous job. We’ve got a while. Might as well use it to find out some things...” Three. Three test subjects that could hinder her escape by simply running into her. She had seen the rule that only one person was tested at the time. Why was it changed now?

She could hear their footsteps right outside the door. “Oh, but he’s definitely a snitch! Have you seen how he acted around her? I wouldn’t be surprised if he liked this punishment. I mean, what kind of-”

“Yeah yeah, you don’t like him, I get it.” The two men entered the room. She didn’t dare to breathe as she watched them look around. One of them was a redhead with darker skin while the other was a chubby blond guy pouting like a toddler. It wasn’t hard to tell whose voice belonged to whom. “But we’ll have to work together if we wanna get out. And I don’t really like you either after the whole fiasco _you_ caused.” The redhead’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the blonde guy.

“But that was-“ The blonde turned around and found himself face to face with her. For a second she was sure he would faint, but instead he started talking . “H-hello there, um, looking good... love the apron... what are you, er, doing in the corner? Are you-?”

“You must have gotten out of the testing track as well... so you know what’s going on. My name’s Virgil and this here is Wheatley.“ A short pause. “Aaaand you are...?”

Rache. The German word for revenge. Chell. The one test subject who had escaped. These were her two goals. Revenge and escape. “...you can call me Rachel.”


End file.
